Westfeldt Park greenway, river launches discussed

Monday

Feb 4, 2013 at 11:08 PM

County commissioners asked the state Monday to help them fund a short section of greenway along the French Broad River in Westfeldt Park, the first phase in a riverside path that could eventually lead north to the Sierra Nevada brewery and beyond.

By Nathaniel AxtellTimes-News Staff Writer

County commissioners asked the state Monday to help them fund a short section of greenway along the French Broad River in Westfeldt Park, the first phase in a riverside path that could eventually lead north to the Sierra Nevada brewery and beyond.The board authorized Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy and RiverLink, two nonprofits working with Sierra Nevada on improving river access along the French Broad, to apply for two state grants on behalf of the county's Parks and Recreation Department.A $200,000 grant from the N.C. Division of Parks and Recreation, combined with matching funds from a $50,000 grant from the N.C. Division of Water Resources, would pay for the entirety of the greenway segment at Westfeldt Park in Fletcher, said Assistant County Manager David Whitson. In a presentation to the board, CMLC Executive Director Kieran Roe said a group of local nonprofits, state agencies and the brewery have been working on creating better river access for boaters, hikers, bikers and fishermen in Henderson County since last summer.They hope to gain funding for construction of roughly half a mile of greenway and a loop trail within Westfeldt in the next 18 months, Roe said. Future segments could extend the greenway to the brewery if in-between landowners such as the Asheville Regional Airport Authority agree, but that “will depend on many other resources to fall into place,” he said.With the help of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, Roe said the group is also working on creating two boat access points in the county within the next year. Currently, there are just two formal access points in Henderson County, one in Blantyre and another 18 miles downriver at Westfeldt. “We're really now focused on a new point of access right where Highway 191 crosses the French Broad River and down in Horse Shoe where 64 crosses the (river),” Roe said. CMLC has been talking to landowners at those spots, who “sound likely to be cooperative.” Roe said the NCWRC still needs to draw up conceptual maps “in terms of parking and facilities to get into the river, but we're hopeful both projects will move along.” Meanwhile, Roe said Sierra Nevada officials are planning “a point of entry for boats onto their property off of the French Broad River, so folks can hop in a canoe, canoe down to the brewery, get out and enjoy the facilities that they will be developing over time ... We think that's something folks in the county may find desirable. In fact, folks from other places may want to come and enjoy that unique boating experience in Henderson County.”From the proposed new put-in at Highway 191, it would be “about a two- to three-hour canoe paddle to their site,” Roe said.Since the new brewery is helping to coordinate river access efforts with local partners, Commissioner Grady Hawkins suggested the county “look at perhaps leasing Westfeldt Park to Sierra Nevada for a period of time for a nominal fee so they could both develop their own plans out there...” Chairman Charlie Messer said that might be a possibility “down the road,” adding there are “also a lot of other businesses that are going to have a big impact on that area,” given its high potential for growth.“I would think Sierra Nevada would probably want to get their feet on the ground and get open for business before they get into something like this,” said Commissioner Larry Young. Partner groups with Sierra Nevada in what Roe called the “French Broad Recreational Access Project” include Connect Buncombe, Trout Unlimited, the Environmental and Conservation Organization, the Western North Carolina Alliance, CMLC and RiverLink. The N.C. Department of Transportation and NCWRC. Businesses such as Mast General Store, Diamond Brand Outdoors and Legacy Paddlesports in Fletcher have also endorsed the project.Reach Axtell at 828-694-7860 or than.axtell@blueridgenow.com.